Technology
Information on fictional levels of technology or self-invented or fictional technology used in various fictional universes. D20 Sci-fi As a hightly futuristic sci-fi/fantasy setting, the D20 sci-fi setting is mostly inspired by star wars, Mass Effec, star trek, dead space and many other very futuristic sci-fi's, and the technological level represents that. Fantasy Setting - D20/WOD/Pathfinder The technological level of the Empire and the rest of the world varies greatly from eachother. Technologically speaking, most advanced items we have today, short of computers and such very advanced equipment, has at the very least been invented at a prototype stage by the gnomes. These "curiosities" are stored in the Gnome Museeums which are said to be vast and enormous. The blueprints and any production notes are stored in their massive archives. Seeing as magic is a factor in this fantasy setting, as well as nearly omnipotent beings who are referred to as "gods", many discoveries that experiments and the scientific method uncovered in our world have been known for centuries in this world. The High Elves live in a culture so based on magic, they see barely any need to advance their technology anymore, just to give an example of how this affects the world. The print press was invented a very long time ago, and because of the Empire having a decent schooling system, most people can both read and write. Books, manuals, blueprints and such are distributed through guilds, such as crafters guilds. Schools and universitites also try to stay up to date. The world of medicine has advanced to a very high level compared to the real world medieval. Pharmaceuts produce very effective remedies through chemestry (referred to as alchemy), and by processing herbs and other things. Phycisians mainly specialize in distributing these and actually treating ailments, but it's actually mostly seen that a doctor is both a pharmaceut and a phycisian, even though most phycisians do not produce their own medicine. Phycisians and sugeons are one and the same thing. Scholarships are granted to gifted students, meaning even commoners can become academics. Most academics are monks or nuns (lowest rank within the church), as they study most of their lives. Because so many people are learned, it means that your average commoner in the Empire is not a total supersticious simpleton as was often the case, or at least so we tend to believe, in the real world medieval. Crafters are always members of crafters guilds appropriate to their trade. This ensures that there is some sort of proof that they actually apprenticed somewhere and that they have free acess to newly discovered advancements within their fields. Some crafts are still considered common crafts (such as basket weaving or pottery), but professional artisans are still somewhat held in esteem, even if their crafts have plenty of gifted amateurs competing for the market or making their own wares, this just lowers their profit of course. Towns and cities are mostly inhabited by workers and craftsmen, making them centers of learning. In the Empire, magic is severely restricted, meaning that people tend not to know a lot about it, leading to many wild tales springing up. Magic as an aid in technological advancement is therefor mostly an unseen factor, as mages tend to be academics and also crafters of some sort. The Empire should be seen as torn between renaissance and late medieval, but with greatly improved over all technology and knowledge levels. Most people in the empire speak 3-4 languages at at least conversation level.